Mislabeled fish a widespread problem

http://www.sfgate.com/science/article/Mislabeled-fish-a-widespread-problem-4295946.php

I hate sushi restaurants that sell toro- that is not real toro.  That is partly why i like sushi places owned by Japanese- generally much higher grade sashimi and better off the menu dishes.

Peace & blessings!

I hate sushi restaurants that sell toro- that is not real toro.  That is partly why i like sushi places owned by Japanese- generally much higher grade sashimi and better off the menu dishes.

Peace & blessings!

How can I tell if it's Japanese owned?  Any recommendation for a great sushi place here in the valley?

Rey

more of "tuna isn't tuna"...

http://qz.com/55699/59-percent-of-americas-tuna-isnt-actually-tuna/

@ Rey,
I don't know of places in Livermore.  Most of the places I know are in Santa Clara (near my office).
There is Hoshi off of San Tomas/Pruneridge; Tanto on El Camino Real; Sushi Zono on W. Hamilton, and a few other places.

I usually sit at the bar when I visit for the first time and get to know the owner, who is usually in the kitchen or the sushi bar.  If they have set menus, I try those b/c you can discover all sorts of neat dishes. 

Let's go exploring for good sashimi in Livermore/San Ramon!

I hate sushi restaurants that sell toro- that is not real toro.  That is partly why i like sushi places owned by Japanese- generally much higher grade sashimi and better off the menu dishes.

Peace & blessings!

How can I tell if it's Japanese owned?  Any recommendation for a great sushi place here in the valley?

Rey

there is one in Pleasanton it's on santa Rita rd.in the shell plaza right off the 580.ive never eaten there but it's Asian owned and operated.theres also little mad fish on the other side of 580 on the corner of Santa Rita and Dublin blvd good luck fellas

I hate sushi restaurants that sell toro- that is not real toro.  That is partly why i like sushi places owned by Japanese- generally much higher grade sashimi and better off the menu dishes.

Peace & blessings!

Jon, you know there are different cuts of the belly that are called toro, right? There's otoro and chutoro. Otoro is the fatty kind, and the chutoro is the part in the mid section, which is less fatty and has a different color. I'm guessing they served you chutoro and you were expecting the usual fatty otoro. If they served you some other fish that isn't tuna, then it's a flat out fraud. (How about when you order Hirame, do you expect to get halibut? Hope not, because they're probably serving Fluke. But can you actually taste the difference between a small halibut and a large fluke? I asked my most favorite chef what's Hirame? He said it's halibut. I said it looks kinda small for a halibut. He then said, well, it's actually fluke. It's just that when he tell his customers it's fluke they don't know what it is, but they know halibut, so he tells people it's halibut.)

I don't agree with the thinking that Japanese owned restaurants generally have higher grade fish. You should come to the place I work. We have a sushi bar in the cafeteria that's owned and run by a japanese fellow. He also owns a restaurant in Palo Alto. He serves the worst sushi I've ever had. Discolored fish that not only looks bad but smell and taste bad too. I ate at all the Japanese restaurants in Japan Town in SF. I'm not particular impressed with any of them. Some were decent, but none I would consider above the norm. I traveled to Japan many times. Ate at several restaurants inside the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. You would think you'll get fresh fish when you eat right at the fish market. Wrong. I can get better quality fish here in the Bay Area any day. Sure there are great Japanese owned restaurants. This place called Nihonryori Ryugin is about as good as you can get in Tokyo. My wife, son, and myself ate there once. Spectacular food preparation and tasted very good. Around $1500 for the three of us. When we walked out, my son asked whether we could go get some McDonalds cause he was still hungry.

I guess all I'm trying to say is Japanese owned sushi restaurants are not necessarily, and in my experience, not usually better than those that are not owned by Japanese. If a place claims to serve you fish of some kind, and they ended up serving you something else, that's just fraud. Don't go there again. Most often, chefs will tell you what their suppliers tell them. In the Bay Area, all Japanese restaurants get their fish from only a handful of suppliers like JFC, etc... Whether the restaurant is Japanese owned or not, their food source is the same. Some may tell you they import directly from Japan. That may be true once in a while, but no restaurant can sustain such high cost in a consistent basis and be able to survive.

Look me up when you're ready to try some decent sushi run by a non-Japanese owner in Hayward. If it ain't good enough to your standard, I'll pay 

I'd like to tag along, Ernest.

You got it my friend.

Count me in too Ernest.  Hayward is not to far for dinner for me.

Rey

If you guys want some bomb ass sashimi come by crystal fish in Monterey where I work. voted best sushi 3 years in a roll in Monterey. We have Chu toro, toro and some time oo toro as well. The head chef/ owner, tomatsu been doing this all his life and used to work in the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. Go n sit at the bar get a bottle of cold sake n ask him what ever u want.
I have anther job in Santa Cruz that pays more n still keep a night shift
So I can get my 50% discount. Lol
Place is small n fill up fast, so don't come during rush hr.

"84% of fish samples labeled “white tuna” were actually escolar, a fish that can cause prolonged, uncontrollable, oily anal leakage"
Haha this fish is ban in Japan.... We have it there too, lol

Count me in too Ernest.  Hayward is not to far for dinner for me.

Rey

I want a ticket for this bus ride.  I've long since recovered from the Pho Challenge so I'm ready for a Sushi Challenge (but no escolar LOL)

If its the place on alvarado niles, I may have ate there, enjoyed it.  Loved the Sea bream carpaccio (even tho it was probably sole or some damn other thing LOL)

"84% of fish samples labeled “white tuna” were actually escolar, a fish that can cause prolonged, uncontrollable, oily anal leakage"
Haha this fish is ban in Japan.... We have it there too, lol

  Bury it with enough Wassabe no one will know what fish it is!

I'll check with the chef. The place is called Tomodachi and it's on Hesperian/Winton. By no means do I consider it the best, but it's decent if you know the chef. Otherwise he won't bust out the secret stuff. The thing is the special stuffs are not available all the time. I usually check with the chef ahead of time to see what's available that day. One thing I guarantee is that the fish is always fresh because they have a high turn over.

I got your number Rey.

Is Joe Montana = Yakuza?

"84% of fish samples labeled “white tuna” were actually escolar, a fish that can cause prolonged, uncontrollable, oily anal leakage"
Haha this fish is ban in Japan.... We have it there too, lol

  Bury it with enough Wassabe no one will know what fish it is!

U can totally see the difference between white tuna/albacore n escolar n the taste is not even close, but yea put a enough wasabi in it u wont no what's what